Vermont town to discuss flood regulations due to petition

The town of Lyndonville is planning a public hearing after a local business owner submitted a petition to repeal the town’s current flood zone regulations, which some feel are hindering commercial development in the community.

The petition with signatures from 275 registered voters was delivered to town officials last month. The planning commission has scheduled the hearing for Jan. 8.

The Caledonian Record reports the petition was submitted by property owner and town businessman Joe Buzzi, who would like to repeal the regulations that were passed in 2016 and return to the regulations that were in effect in 2015.

Buzzi owns a property at the corner of Routes 5 and 122, the site of the Lynburke Motel, which has been partially torn down. He would like to redevelop the site, which frequently floods, into a mini-market and gas station, but he feels the current regulations are hindering his plans.

The draft minutes of a November meeting of the planning commission say one commissioner noted the town’s pre-2016 flood regulations did not comply with the National Flood Insurance Program.

The commission is planning to do a report about the bylaw before its next meeting and review the flood insurance requirements.